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Recollections of a Fay and Bowen Employee

(From the June 2004 Historical Society Newsletter)

Fred Breitfeld (1898 -1986) wrote the following information down for Historic Geneva in the early 1980s.  He worked for Fay & Bowen from 1913 to 1932.

I started to work at Fay & Bowen Boat & Engines in January 1913 at the age of 15. Served 4 years apprenticeship.  We worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week.  I started at 10 cents per hour.  We built mostly 21 ft and 25 ft Torpedo stern boats during my first 4 years.  World War I started in 1914.  US became involved in the war in 1917.  I had planned to join the Navy Air Corps, but when Fay & Bowen received a sub-contract to build HS 16 seaplanes, I was told I would not have to join because I was more valuable to the service, building seaplanes for the war effort.

At the end of the War, Nov. 11, 1918, the boat and motor business was at a standstill at F & B. Leo Davids and myself were the only ones left in the boat shop.  We built two 35 ft runabouts, just to keep busy.  This model was planked with southern white cedar (Juniper), trimmed with mahogany decks and rails.  The bow deck was 22 ft long and rails.  The bow deck was 22 ft long.  The beam was approximately 7’.

As business began to improve, we started building radial stern boats 24 ft and 26 ft runabout.  30 ft raised deck runabouts were one of the popular boats at the time (Fred craved the arrow which appears on the hull of these boats).  The planking used on the boats  up to this time was southern white  cedar [Juniper] and Cypress.  The decks and trimming was either white oak or mahogany.  The hulls were painted white.  The bottoms below the waterline were painted green copper paint to resist the growth of moss and other marine particles.  We sometimes covered the hull below the waterline with thin sheets of copper, especially boats that were sold in the South, to protect from some type of worm that would bore holes through the planking.

The next change was going to Philippine mahogany planking and trim.  All fastening above the water line water line we counter bored and then plugged the holes with wooden plugs.  The planks were fastened with brass screws.  Before this time, all planks were fastened to the ribs with copper rivets.

The advent of the V-bottom boats in the early twenties was a turning point in the boat business.  Fay & Bowen was determined to stay with their custom-built round-bilge boats while Christ Craft, Dodge and other builders went to mass producing V-bottom boats, which were much faster than the conventional round-bottom boats.  Dealers went for what the public wanted so Fay & Bowen sales dropped off.  Eventually the engine part of the business was sold… I think the name was Lavine.  The boat part of the business was purchased by a group of businessmen of Geneva…The name was changed to FayBow Boats, Inc.  A Mr. Al Buffington from Connecticut was engaged as manager to try and build up the business and to get dealers back, but after a couple of years, all efforts to revive the business failed.  Mr. Buffington’s affiliation with the company was terminated and Leo Davids took over the plant and he and I did repair work and winter storage.  It was about this time that Leo, with my help, built two “Middys” in trade for two pair of minks which eventually developed into a very successful business for Leo and his family.  It was after this … that I talked with Harry M. Seagers of the Hulse Co… I eventually was employed by Hulse Mfg. Co, where I remained for 32 years until I retired in 1964.

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